First MINI Now Triumph?

Sections: In the Press Jan 4th, 2006 77 Comments

mini

BMW is working on a two-seater based off of the MINI platform that will form the basis of a Triumph concept car later this year and may eventually see production. This seemingly incredible news comes from this morning’s edition of autoindustry.co.uk and is based on information from Autocar’s January 3rd issue. For those that might not be aware, along with BMW’s purchase of Rover back in the mid-90s came a handful of old British brands such as Triumph. At the time it had been rumored that the MINI would be the first of several brands coming back to life. However it was assumed these plans were shelved when Rover was broken up and sold by BMW in 2000. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Reviewing the unconfirmed news that BMW Group design team is working in California on a two-seater sports car derivative of the current MINI platform, AutocarÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s 3 January issue speculates that the car, ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…â€œclose to getting the green light for productionÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Â, could become a concept vehicle later this year, and eventually, could be marketed under the Triumph brand.

You can read the entire article below:

[ BMW protects ownership of Triumph brand ] Autoindustry.co.uk

Written By: Gabe

giacomo

A TR6 or TR4 was all I wanted when I was a much younger man. Never got one! To this day I like the designs of them. Not sure about the mechanics but styling was great. That deep exhaust sound the kool way you felt with the top down, a friend had one, was all money. Even the TR8 was pretty kool. Hope BMW does a splendid a job as they have with the MINI. I wonder which years styling they’ll key off?
TSizemore3

TR9 anyone? Makes me kinda wistfull for my first car, a 1972 TR6.
Charlie

my first car was a Triumph GT6+….

Love the MINI but I am excited about what they could do for the Triumph cars….
Vanwall
The original Mini was supposed to be the basis of the new MG Midget back in the sixties, but they went with the Spridget style car already in the works. It was a pretty nice solution, actually, and it looked very close to production, judging by the prototype I saw in the Heritage Collection. I could see a Triumph version of the new MINI very easily, and, hey, no British Leyland production-line and quality problems! Now if they could latch on to MG, that would be cool. ;-)
```
           BCNU,
          Rob in Dago
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asp

so – did BMW also get the Austin lineup and models? – my first ride in a “foreign” auto was the Austin 850 – I just had to wait 40 years for the MINI to appear. But in between there was a stint with a ’61 Bugeye – to me this would be the 2 seater to attach to the MINI line a MINI Mk1 Spirte.
Chris LW

Who remembers those TR7 ads “The shape of things to come”, there was one w/ a garage in the frozen tundra shaped like a wedge to accommodate the car. Pretty cool.

I think if the 2-seater was to be a performance “sports car”, that would be a good thing. As peppy as our cars are,with their great handling,many don’t put it in the same class as say a Z4.
Dave

Front wheel or rear wheel drive??? That is the question!
HPuck35

I once drove a friend’s TR4 when I was in college (mid-70′s). It was one of the most memorable drives I have ever taken, on the back roads in western Massachusetts in the fall. Later, another friend owned a TR6. Good car, but getting a little bloated sizewise, in my opinion.

My wife and I each drive Minis. If BMW came out with a TR4 type car that is as much fun as the original, I would have a problem trying to explain to my wife why I NEED two cars just for me.
Lee L

I used to lust after a TR3 that a guy around here had restored when I was in High Shcool. What a car! This would be cool if they did it.
Gregg

As much as folks deride a four- or rear-wheel drive MINI, I’m afraid I’d have to shun a front-wheel drive TR (no matter what number you tack on). As a former owner of a TR3B (still regret the necessity of selling THAT one) and an MGB-GT, a front driver TR wouldn’t cut it, no matter how fine. Now if we’re talking basing it on a BMW 1….
Floyd

Owned TR-3B, TR-6, and an MGB. Use the 6 as a basis, rear wheel drive, and make sure a big ol’ American will fit in it like my MINI and I’ll be standing in line.

Cheers
John

My first car [after a year of suffering with my brothers orsnge Vega] was a white Spitfire. Nothing but great memories…except for the time I introduced the front end of it to a telephone pole after hitting an ice patch.
Nathaniel Salzman

I’m much more a fan of the MGB (especially the GT) than the TR4, but I like to think of them as cousins or something. Having a reborn incarnation of either could be really cool – especially if they capture the very minimalist natures of those original vehicles. I love the almost bohemian quality of my dad’s MGB – gives it so much charm. Most of all, I’d love to see the sound reborn – that straight pipe growl that made their little 4-cylinder motors sound like V8′s.
Bill Lawrence

It makes sense to add another nameplate to the whole new dealer network created by BMW for the MINI. I assume it would be placed at the price point of the Solstice/Sky and MX5. A traditional British brand would be welcome among that group of cars.
tsukiji

(T)R53?……COOL!
AJ Igel

Just sent the article to my father. I’m a Mini fanatic, and he was a TR6 owner back when he was my age. This would sort of bridge the generation gap a bit.

Also, anyone remember a lot of the talk about a BMW 1 and/or 2 series 2-seater like this based on the Mini platform? I remember seeing some photos, but I assumed it was a photoshopped hoax, but this has me thinking that it might be otherwise.
JAG

Cool news, no doubt BMW will do a great job. Start warming up the Triumph MotoringFile!!
http://www.atlantaminis.net M. Dillon

…I hope BMW will do for the Triumph what they did for the MINI…A great-looking body combined with a reliable engine and transmission,coupled with space for tall/big individuals to drive/ride in comfort. However…my real question is this: Will Triumph have it’s own stand alone dealership;or,will it be sold together with the rest of the BMWs’,MINIs,under one roof? Prehaps I’m getting ahead of myself…
http://www.squirty.com/minis Kurt Collins

This rumour made my day! :-)
Raster-Vector

Very Cool! I have two cars in the garage – an 05′ MCS as the daily driver and a 62′ TR4 for fun with the top down. I may have to squeeze in a new one of these!

Michael
percy

Forget the TR4, go back a few years and build an MGA, complete with wire wheels, plastic side curtains, a nice tonneau cover and a drafty convertabile top. The TR4 was too civilized.
gokartride

Whoda thought such a thing possible…truly we live in amazing times!!! We’re all gonna need bigger garages if this comes to pass.
dominicminicoopers

I agree with the “keeping it a RWD”…however, if you listen to the rumor, it says “a two-seater sports car derivative of the current MINI platform”. Being a derivitive, I really doubt they’d re-engineer the current platform for RWD. Com’on BMW exec’s, prove me wrong this one time….please! :-)
Mark Schulz

The main reason I own a MINI is the 1978 Spitfire I used to own. Had to sell it because it just wasn’t reliable enough in the winter. Ever since I have wanted a car with the same fun factor. This is awesome news!
http://www.extremedsl.com.au/~jb/default.htm JBFromOZ

What i would much rather see isn’t the bugeye sprite, i already have one of those with pics on my website if you are interested.

much better would be a new big healey. the classic styling and body lines are unforgettable.

Perhaps BMW lost their chance to do this, as i think they have lost the Austin Healey naming rights, and someone else is close on the heels with this project:

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/gossip/project-tempest-a-new-austin-healy-126944.php
Bryn

The Germans have captured those British bastions Bentley and Rolls Royce but the thought of a BMW-made (Triumph) Spitfire totally flies in the face of history! I do hope they call it something else.
Cuca

A remake of the Triumph Spitfire would be cool! :)
http://www.nemini.org GMINI

And their bikes were awesome. Will BMW be manufacturing Triumph motorcycles to potentially compete with their own? Or wait, since i recall seeing recent models, are they a separately owned entity?
GSP

A FWD Triumph ?!??!? I can’t see that it makes any sense to develop, or resurrect, another brand. It’d be relatively easy in the UK … but by the time Triumph died it was a joke in the US. A bad joke. By comparison MINI was simply unknown – not a negative.
IanF

Yeah… I’m not so sure about a FWD Triumph either… but I will reserve judgement until the prototype is publicly shown. Unfortunately, when thinking of a 2 seat sport coupe based on a MINI platform, the Honda Del Sol comes to mind…

Triumph motorcycles is a separately owned company. Per their site:

“The Meriden factory closed its doors in early 1983. The cash had simply run out and liquidation followed along with the sale of the company assets. The Meriden site was bulldozed into rubble in ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢84 and houses built. It seemed like the end of Triumph and, with it, the British motorcycle industry.

“Fortunately it wasnÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t.

“Property developer and self-made millionaire John Bloor rescued the Triumph name and a new, privately owned company – Triumph Motorcycles Limited – was born.”

http://www.triumph.co.uk/usa/
Bryn

GSP – absolutely right. I remember dealers with TR7s on their hands at their wits end with stocks that no-one wanted despite some rally successes by Tony Pond’s V8 versions. The 1970′s were terrible years for the whole home British car industry with foul designs,abysmal build quality, rust issues, industrial relations at an alltime low. And Triumph was no exception. A sad end to some illustrious chapters for their cars (Le Mans included)and only fond memories for several generations of enthusiasts. If Triumph is revived, let’s hope it is in a fitting way that pays tribute to the glory days of the 1950′s and early 60′s….
Jim

I think BMW has rights to the Austin name but the Healey was always licensed from the Healey family. That was why the last year Sprite where just Austin Sprites and why there was a Jenson-Healey. So we could see another Austin from BMW but they would have to work out using the Healey name with the estate.
http://revorg.org/mini.html Scott

My first car was a ’64 Spitfire, and I still have fond memories of driving that car – even with the hopping rear end and frigid winters. A BMW-engineered Spit would be something to drool over!
mgcman

Hmmm, I smell a photo op only. BMW chose not to market the new MGF in North America when it purchased Rover Group in 1994 (competition for it’s new Z3 perhaps?). Then it sold off all of MG Rover except MINI (and Land Rover – sold to Ford) for 10 quid, watches as the Brits implode, and now wants to re-introduce Truimph a trade name kept in the Rover deal? Come on, get serious. This is only a way of piquing our interests for auto-shows. BMW has its hands full with it’s own sports car line (Z) and it’s foray into F1. A new Triumph? nevergonnahappen.
tsukiji

The most interesting thing about this story is not the resurrection of the Triumph marque, but rather the possibility of an R53 based roadster!
Dave

The Germans have captured those British bastions Bentley and Rolls Royce but the thought of a BMW-made (Triumph) Spitfire totally flies in the face of history! I do hope they call it something else.

Triumph ME109?
Dave

fortunately the word Triumph is the same in English and German – so this should work out quite well ;-)
Dave

Hang on a minute- wouldn’t a Spitfire have to have a Rolls Royce engine?
Jim Harris

I’m willing to be open to the possibility, given that the MINI turned out well and that BMW always seems to know what it’s doing. Let’s see what they come up with.

My first car was a ’67 Spitfire. Awful. So awful I followed up with a 1972 GT-6 and eventually a 1980 TR7. That TR7 was bad enough to cure me of my British car fascination once and for all, but with BMW oversight, I might just give TR another shot.

PS: God help me, I read this piece on Gabe’s site and Googled “GT6s” and found a thriving (??) community of GT6 restorers, all of whom have their hands more than full. I’m not going THERE, I can promise you.

Cheers.
http://kaskastner.com Kas Kastner

What could better than a modern engine in a great shape. Better panel fitting and brakes and all the good things that BMW would bring to the program. Roadster, wide track, bigger tirees, what a killer.
Fil

There is a GOD! I own a TR250 and have owned Triumphs ever since the early 80′s. I’d wait in line for a TR9. You know if BMW puts it out it will be quality and COOL!
Don P.

TR3B owner and driver since ’66.

Go for side curtains. Roll up windows are for sissies.

I’m assuming that with a TR badge the oil leaks and stain on the garage floor will be standard equipment?

If they do it the hard part will be getting that genuine sounding throaty roar (Braaaap!) out of what will probably be a smaller displacement overhead cam, 4 valve engine.

Hard to duplicate that intense love/hate relationship we all had with Brit Iron.

Perfect for a Wisconsin back road on a bright fall day with the leaves turning and the top down. Miserable on a February night when the Lucas electrics pack it up on a farm road in the middle of nowhere in Iowa.
Ted

Check out the latest from the LA Motor Show Mini Canyon Carver Concept Car Double click on lower left Mini Vehicle
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

Check out the latest from the LA Motor Show

That’s actually from an event held in conjunction with last year’s LA Auto show: The Ultimate LA Machine
http://bravo5.org/blog blalor

Yikes. That’s ugly!
Ted

Thanks Gabe; They tricked me, I’ve only been a Mini enthusiast for a short time.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

No worries!
Jim Britbits

Actually there is a precedent for a FWD Triumph, as the last Triumph cars built were the Acclaims, based on Honda Accord FWD mechanicals.

As has been noted, it would be more in keeping with the brand names to build a Mini based roadster under the Austin/MG name ala the Sprite/Midgets of the ’60s and ’70s.

If BMW wants to resurrect the Triumph name properly it should be done using mechanicals from one of the current (or future) BMW roadsters. With a leaky soft top as a nod to Triumph history.

Cheers,

Jim ’73 Spitfire ’76 Spitfire ’78 Spitfire ’63 Austin Cooper and a few other toys
Vanwall
Hey, Kastner’s on board – that’s like God’s Seal of Approval. Nobody, and I mean nobody, knows more about Triumphs than Kas, the John Cooper of TRs, who has made some ass-kicking racers over the years. Maybe there’ll be a Kastner Special Edition TR9. ;-)

My favorite Triumph was the TR250, the ultimate TR4, with loads of grunt. I remember when Triumph’s USA people were driving around with weird exhaust combos to get just the right sound for the TR6, whether or not it was a tuned length. A good TR6 is still an awesome sounding car.
```
             BCNU,
            Rob in Dago
```
Bryn

The original TR2 had a tractor-derived engine. So a “John Deere Works” version ought to be in the new Triumph line up!

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